Legacy of the Aeons
by Zeng Li
Summary: Tseng of the Turks has more connections to Ancients and their knowledge of the Life Stream than he'll admit to Shinra. Shinra's decision to go after Aeris prompts the Turks to take action, but a call from Wutai complicates matters.
1. Chapter 1

_Legacy of the Aeons – Chapter 1  
_By: Zeng Li

Derelict houses, mountains of trashed cars and pick up trucks, even the occasional housing of electrical substations long past their prime. It was organized chaos to anyone who could navigate over the roof tops and teetering mounds of junk machinery. The path, well known by one of Shinra's top agents, lead to a destination he had visited many times in the past.

The church had holes in the roof, letting in the pale, murky light of the slums in rays that mocked nature's sunlight that once shined in the bowels of Midgar, a long time ago before the upper plates were constructed. Plant life ceased flourishing in the slums decades ago, although the church and its caretaker's home were still capable of producing bountiful gardens of greenery.

Tseng Wulong stood on the last roof top over looking the church…the sanctuary of the last remaining Ancient. Tabi-booted feet gripped the corrugated roof tiles as he leapt off the one roof, landing silently on the roof of the church. Immediately, he could see through a hole in the roof down to the flower bed where a long haired caretaker tended to the colorful flora. He was careful not to cast a shadow within her line of sight as he lowered himself into the hole and onto the heavy wooden roof beam like he had so many times before.

So many times, in fact, that his muscle memory allowed him to glide through the dilapidated rafters unseen and unheard before one final vault down brought him face to face with the surprised flower girl below. The surprise this time, however, was for Tseng.

A false deck had been laid down on top of the familiar beams, rigged to slip under the weight and traction of even the most sure-footed intruder. Small plates of wood rained down from the rafters to the broken rows of pews down below, and the Turk was forced to make a hasty grab for a lighter beam so to prevent falling all the way down along with them.

Aeris looked up, backing away as a few bits of wood dropped into the flower bed around her. She glowered at the man dressed in a skin-tight black suit, black belts laced across his chest and waist. The long ebony hair was as familiar as the thief's suit, and she honestly wondered if he thought it was still much of a disguise.

Tseng reached to the back of his waist belt and pulled out a grappling hook pistol, firing it to secure around a center beam. He confidently swung from his line down to ground level, dropping down to the edge of the flower bed before the Ancient had a chance to run.

"Very clever," he said, packing the hook pistol away and trying to appear unfazed by the surprise that had sprung on him.. "Rig that up yourself, or did you have help?"

Aeris clutched her basket of cut flowers. "You've come a long way for nothing…again. I'm not going back with you. You know that."

Tseng shrugged and reached to another small pouch on his belt. "I suppose I understand why you would say that, although why do you think that every one of my visits is to harass you? To bring you back to Shinra with me? Can't some of our meetings be more…friendly?"

The Ancient stepped back until she stood outside of the flower bed, on the opposite end as the Turk. "Friendly? No one who has to sneak in here is likely to be friendly."

Tseng lifted his hand, having pulled a shining red object from the small pocket. "I'm really only here to ask a few questions, then I will be on my way."

She really had no reason not to trust him. After all, he was the only Turk she never had to fight or run from all that often. Tseng would never take her by force, and he was a man of honor. Being from Shinra, however, she could not remain fully confident that he would never go back on his word. She also refused to be wooed into placing absolute trust in him, being conditioned for a moment he could turn on her and do that which he once vowed not to.

The Turk palmed the crystal and under-handed it across the flower bed to her. "What can you tell me about this materia?" he asked, maintaining a less threatening stance across the garden from her.

Aeris caught it. She held it up and turned it in the pale overhead light. "Nothing that you don't already know," she replied.

Tseng smiled and clasped his gloved hands behind his back. "Perhaps…" The orb was lobbed back at him, and he caught it, exchanging hands with the other orb he'd kept hidden until now.

"If that's all…" Aeris continued. "…Goodbye, Mr. Tseng…"

"But I've come a long way…to show you this…" The Turk pitched the other red orb across the flower bed, and this time Aeris nearly dropped it, falling to her knees to prevent the glowing ruby from hitting the ground. Tseng folded his arms, noticing the widening of Aeris' eyes as she beheld the second orb. "They're both materia, but I'm sure you notice that that one is more than just jewelry shop glass."

"Where did you get this…" she asked, eyes never leaving the brilliant gleam of the ruby orb. The life force pulsing in it touched her spirit. "What does Shinra intend to do with it…?"

"Have you ever heard of a town called Gongaga? I'm sure you have… It's where _he_ was from, wasn't it? I'm sure then that you know about the tragic reactor failure that happened there, much to Shinra's dismay. However, in the wreckage, we started finding interesting crystallizing Mako formations, including red materia."

"You already know about this one, don't you?" Aeris asked, holding the orb of shining red light.

"I do…Shinra doesn't. Although I'm not entirely sure what Aeon it will bring forth. Perhaps you do?"

Aeris closed her fist around the orb, inhaling deeply as the life force again penetrated her heart. The answer came.

"There are no more Aeons," she said, lowering her hand and opening her eyes. "Red materia is exceedingly rare, though most of the time they are far too impure to have any powers to reach the Life Stream where the energies of the defeated Aeons reside."

"Jewelry and curio shops sell them at over-inflated prices," Tseng said, walking around the perimeter of the flower bed to close in on the Ancient's position. She took a few steps away, but did not out pace him. "I'm sure that the orb you hold would never be sold at such places, which is all the better that it hasn't fallen into the wrong hands."

Aeris detached her rod from her belt, extending it to its full length as her green eyes locked onto Tseng's. "Wrong hands?" she asked. "Then why did you let me hold onto it for this long?" While stepping back slowly, she clicked the red orb into the materia slot in her weapon.

"Proving you can summon Aeons will make you all that much more useful to Shinra," the Turk replied, matching her pace now that he was within striking distance. His deep brown eyes battled with the emerald looking back at him, subtle energies radiating from one to the other.

A cloud of dust kicked up. Aeris slashed her rod out to the side pyre-flies of every color circling up out of the ground around her. Flicking the rod out in front of her and grasping it with both hands, she bowed, allowing a sacred transaction to take place as her form disappeared from view.

Tseng countered before the trading among planes was complete. Crimson light beamed from his onyx bangle around his right wrist, pyre-flies rising up around him as well.

Titan materialized first, striking at the Turk. The Wutanese man also vanished, his form being replaced by that of the water god. Strength of Earth met with Strength of Water, colliding just as solidly against one as the other. As quick as they had appeared, their neutralized energies collapsed, merging back to their plane of existence and returning the humans to manifestation.

Turk and Ancient both fell to their knees across from one another. Tseng was the first to his feet, his leather gloved hand reaching down to the Ancient's rod and grasping it long enough to pull the red materia out of it. He turned his back to her as he stepped away.

"Very impressive, and helpful. Please allow me to pay for your time and services…" he said, reaching into a pocket on his chest sash.

Aeris got to her feet, still wielding the rod in case further self-defense was necessary. "I don't want your money! Please leave!"

"These are the slums, and you're poor despite the few gil your flower sales take in. I just want to look after you."

"I don't need you to look after me!" she charged, swiping her rod at him. Tseng deflected it with the hardened leather bracer on his left arm then stepped back.

"As you will… I'm here to help." He tossed down 50 gil before running past her and out the front door of the church.

Once he was out of sight, Aeris knelt down and grabbed the coins. "You have a strange way of helping…" she said quietly.

Tseng didn't get far before finding the road blocked by two motorcycles and two Turks standing beside them. "Yo, boss!" the redhead called. "Leaving empty handed again?"

Tseng stopped, his tabi boots sliding a short distance on the dry dirt path. "Reno…Rod… What are you two doing here?"

"Heidegger's orders," Reno replied, pushing his tinted goggles higher up on his forehead. "Although we didn't expect to see such a light show. Is the Ancient getting harder to catch, or were you two just having that much fun?"

Tseng's eyes narrowed. "Back off, and that's an order."

"Love to…but that would get in the way of our orders," Reno leaned against his bike, arms folded. "See, Heidegger said for us to catch the Ancient and bring her back to Shinra, even if you once again prove that you are unable to do that feat for us."

"This was not a capture attempt, nor anything else your sick mind can come up with. We can talk more about it later." Tseng walked past his two subordinates. "We are not to take Aeris by force, and that has never changed. I don't care what Heidegger sent you here for. Return to base with me." Tseng continued on to where his car was parked out of sight, past the falling houses and mountains of mechanical debris.

Rod looked to Reno for direction, still quite the rookie.

"Care to show the rest of us your hidden talent?" Reno asked, mounting his bike.

Tseng picked up his pace and ran for his black car. The other Turks started up their motorcycles and gained on their boss, but not soon enough. Tseng started up the car and pulled out ahead of them. Neither bikes nor car had complete traction along the dusty trail until it joined with the ramp leading back up to plate level. Steel open-grates slowed their progress until the ramp joined with sections made of asphalt.

Tseng's car was able to keep pace with the pursuing bikes until ramp curves tightened as they approached top level. Rod leaned his speeding bike hard into the curve, sliding up alongside his commanding officer's car. Tseng pushed the car harder, counter-steering as the curve opened into a straight section of the final climb before the ramp rejoined a top-side highway. The rear quarter panel slid into Rod's bike, causing the two wheeled machine to lose stability. The opposite side of its wheels tagged the concrete retaining wall, sending the motorcycle into an uncorrectable slide.

Bike and rider crashed down, metal grinding on the pavement kicking up a shower of sparks. Behind him, Reno's bike beared down on the skittering roadblock of flesh and metal at too high a speed to avoid one or the other. Only a fraction of a second could be spared to decide on whether to maintain course and hit the tumbling rider dead on…or a last-second veer that would likely put him on collision-course with the bike. Either way, the experienced Turk knew he'd likely lose control. Heart took over and minimized their losses. Tseng would get away and have but one more thing to answer for when he got back. Reno braced himself and focused on survival…of himself and of his colleague.

_To Be Continued..._

An original story based on characters from Final Fantasy VII © 1997 Squaresoft Ltd. Characters used without permission. No money is made off of this fic. Written by Zeng Li. © 2006.


	2. Chapter 2

_Legacy of the Aeons – Chapter 2  
_By: Zeng Li

"So…" Tseng asked, looking at Rufus' back as the Vice President stared out the heavy windows overlooking the city that would one day be his. "Who told you?"

Rufus looked past his own reflection at the city below, lit up under the night sky. A train snaked into Sector 1. A helicopter buzzed around the perimeter of the city's hub, almost eye-level. "Reno and Rod were not the only Turks we sent to the church. Of course, we only expected to find out that Aeris had the ability to summon Aeons."

"They're not Aeons," Tseng bowed his head as he interrupted.

"Then what are they?" Rufus asked, turning towards his subordinate. His demeanor was heavy, far too strict for what he intended from the moment Tseng walked into his office. In an attempt to make things more casual, Rufus stripped off his white trench coat and sat on the corner of his desk, waiting for the Turk's answer. "Look… If you don't want my father to find out just how much you know, just tell me. You know I only tell the bastard what he needs to know."

Tseng looked up. "Sir…?" He sighed, letting tension out of his chest before continuing. "Aeon, like Cetra, is a very old word. Not many use it any more, and when they do, they aren't really talking about the same thing that it once meant."

Rufus reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out two orbs of red materia. "Shinra wants the power, no matter what they're called. It's only a matter of time before Hojo makes some sort of a break through and informs Father. I will try to seem ignorant when it happens. Something tells me I can trust your information more than the various crack-pot theories Hojo is going to come up with before discovering the actual truth. So please…tell me."

Tseng bowed his head down submissively before choosing the right words. "Red materia began surfacing around Mako reactors. The orbs were thought to hold no powers since no body could use them. In some cases, the assumption was correct. Many red materia crystals don't hold any powers of the Ancients because they are too impure. They're sold as curios or cut and turned into jewelry. The ones you hold are genuine."

Rufus turned the glowing red spheres in his hands. "What makes these more genuine that Ancient powers can be called forth by them? Oh, and go into detail, as Adrian reports some rather interesting things when he watched you and Aeris summon what ever is inside of these things…"

With a sigh, Tseng continued. "Nothing actually lives inside the materia. The materia is a conduit between this world and the Life Stream. According to legends, the original Aeons were defeated and banished from re-emerging into this world. As part of the wisdom of the Ancients…the Cetra…their essence crystallized into red materia orbs, but we think only because of the processing of Mako."

"…which is why it's only found around our reactors?" Rufus continued inquisitively.

Tseng knew of one other place the materia could be found…a continent where no Mako reactors had been built, but that would be part of what he didn't tell the vice president. "Yes," he replied. "Sir, are you familiar with alchemy?"

"No," Rufus said putting the orbs back into his pocket. "Just that blacksmiths are said to have turned lead into gold or something. These days we call things like that chemical reactions, and science can explain it much better than tales of magic." He studied Tseng's features for a moment. "But, if you wish to elaborate…"

"The main principle of alchemy states that in order to manifest something, something of equal value must be exchanged in its place," Tseng said, feeling awkwardly like some wise guru even though the concept was very simple to someone like him. "…In order to bring forth energies of the Aeons of old, something of equal value has to be sent to the Life Stream in its place. That, sir…is why Adrian saw Aeris and I momentarily disappear."

---

"…the hell is this?" Reno snarled, snatching the newspaper off the break room table. His teeth clenched as he read the front page headline and the first few lines of text under it. Seated at the table was one of his Turk partners, Rude. The bald man didn't flinch as the fiery redhead fumed over the article. "The G-9 expressway was shut down yesterday due to a two-motorcycle collision. The identities of the drivers and the cause of the wreck are not known? The cause of the accident is currently under investigation?" he read aloud. "Bloody damn hell, Rude! Who writes this shit?"

Rude calmly sipped his morning coffee. "Shinra controls the media. That doesn't always mean what they print is true. Besides, you should be glad that they didn't print yours and Rod's names for the sake of our department's reputation."

Reno threw the paper back onto the table, nearly over-turning his partner's coffee in the process. "Rod's in the fucking hospital in serious condition, and it's all that dot-head Tseng's fault!" He pounded his fist onto the table top. "Dammit, Rude…I broke my fucking arm in that wreck!"

"And you'll break it again if you don't stop hammering the table like that," Rude stated flatly, remaining Reno's emotional opposite.

The redhead retracted his hand, unconsciously cradling it with the other. His fingers explored the still-tender spot near his elbow which, less than 24 hours ago, had been the site of a complete fracture. It was only the recent advances in materia healing technology that allowed him to be standing there in the morning, fully healed and harboring little more than a mild bruise to remind him of the trauma the harsh pavement had inflicted on his body.

"Besides…" the bald Turk added, "…imagine the repercussions if the public found out the truth. Let the public have a negative-news article to drool over. Tomorrow will bring about another gripping headline that'll make them forget all about today's."

Reno's mind busied itself replaying the events of the prior day. The replay through his consciousness temporarily blinded him to the room all around him. He saw the black car, driven by their own commanding officer, lose its back-end grip, sideswiping Rod's motorcycle. Sparks and debris flew as the two-wheeler landed heavily on its side, half on top of its rider. No matter how many times his mind replayed it, Reno knew that out of his two choices, he'd certainly picked the right one. Hit the bike, or swerve and hit Rodney? Neither was a delightful choice. He'd had only a second to prepare himself for the impending collision, but even if he didn't survive the inevitable, he could at least die knowing he did what he could to prevent further risk his fallen partner's life.

The two bikes tangled, and it was chaos. When the dust and sparks settled, Reno was in shock and lying on the pavement. Rodney was lying 10 meters away, unconscious but alive. Everything went blank. The next thing Reno remembered was waking up in the hospital, his arm already mended. That took him back to the present, standing in the employee break room beside his partner and talking about the prior day's events.

"Reno?"

"Yeah, yeah…" the Turk shook his head in hopes of forgetting about his memory for now. "I'm not looking forward to this either."

Rude stood up, finishing his cup of coffee. "Neither am I. Let's go."

It was a short walk to the elevator and a short ride up to the tower's private hospital facility accessible only to Soldier and high-ranking Shinra staff. It was there that they found Tseng, standing silently in Rodney's room, arms clasped behind his back and obviously engaged in some form of private musing. Reno and Rude stood in the doorway to the intensive care unit. Their fallen comrade was asleep, and machinery around him softly hummed and beeped.

Tseng could see the visitors' reflection in a polished chrome machine casing. "What are you two doing here?" he asked, turning his head slightly to see his two Ace Turks in his peripheral vision.

"Following orders…" said Reno. "Again."

"Sir," Rude stepped forward. "You have to come with us. The president wants to see you."

The Turk leader's hands unconsciously rose to straighten his tie. "I see…" he said. He took a few steps forward as Rude caught his elbow in a firm grip. Not that Tseng intended to run away, and not that Rude was afraid he would, but it was merely protocol. Reno's electro-mag rod was fully extended, it's mid-shaft resting on Reno's shoulder as the crimson haired Turk flanked his commanding officer on the otherside. Together, he and Rude escorted Tseng to the nearest elevator.

_To Be Continued..._

An original story based on characters from Final Fantasy VII © 1997 Squaresoft Ltd. Characters used without permission. No money is made off of this fic. Written by Zeng Li. © 2006.


	3. Chapter 3

_Legacy of the Aeons – Chapter 3  
_By: Zeng Li

_Author's Notes:_ _Okay, now that the Gunshot Romance web site gave Player H a name, I like it better. "Sven" is now "Adrian"…the name I'll accept as Player H's name. Also, this chapter has been revised due to canon information being released on Player H's personality. Note that I still consider this fic to be AU in that it DOES NOT follow the plot or events of Before Crisis or FF7. Veld is to be assumed dead in this story. Events that will happen involving other FF7 characters later are also AU and exist outside of canon. See chapter 4 for BC playable characters names list._

_The ending of this chapter has also been revamped and redirected for a change in the author's intent for future chapters._

_---_

"I don't need any more reasons to dislike you," Professor Hojo said to Tseng as the Wutanese man stood flanked by the two senior-grade Turks that had escorted him up to the president's office. "Yet unfortunately, Mr. Tseng, you've given me but one more. And do you know what it is?"

President Shinra and his son, Vice President Rufus Shinra, stood in attendance at what was supposed to be a questioning of the Turks' commander regarding the prior day's series of events that took place below plate level. Specifically, the deemed-avoidable collision that seriously injured the junior-grade Turk, Rodney, and also the Wutanese man's latent ability to summon forces from a parallel Life Stream that he never revealed to Shinra in the past. Tseng did not have the position at the time to bring up a little matter of why one of his own snitched on him regarding the summoning.

Tseng wasn't sure whether Hojo's pause was invitation to say anything or not. He soon didn't need to answer because the professor continued. "I can't figure you out…"

"How long have you had the ability to summon Espers?" the president asked, impatient with Hojo's flair for drama and suspense but above all, beating around the bush. All Jonathan Shinra wanted were hard answers. "And better yet, why have you chosen to hide this ability of yours from us?"

Hojo clasped his hands behind his back and paced in a way that would be menacing if it weren't for his frail build and otherwise weak appearance. Tseng remained silent. "I've heard stories from the war with Wutai that our enemy had some mages capable of summoning these elemental deities," said the scientist. "We had Sephiroth, so of course we were able to counter their moves. Other than Cetra and our Wutanese enemies, he was the only other one thought to be able to summon these Espers. At the time, we could only assume that the Wutanese civilization carried strong genetic links to the Cetra, but as later research proved, it was not the case. Being one such as the few mages our enemy had, you'd make an interesting study. Imagine the red materia we'd have if Shinra could build a Mako reactor on their land…"

"I'm not yours to study," Tseng said flatly. "I can't give you the answer you seek. Why not just deal with this reality and forego any attempts to explain it?"

"Hmm… You're not the first Turk to have the ability to summon Espers…perhaps you call them Aeons…?" Hojo said, his eyes narrowing behind his thick glasses at Tseng as if to tell him to get the point. "Of course, that other Turk has been removed from service, but you have intrigued me a bit into perhaps waking him."

The president waved his hand as if to get Hojo to back off. His attention returned to Tseng. "You took out one of your own men," he accused the commander of the Turks.

"It was an accident," Tseng replied in a cold, low voice.

"Perhaps," President Shinra grumbled. "Your actions yesterday are just suspicious on two fronts: the supposed accident, and what Adrian came back to report went on at the church in the slums. A personal visit to the Ancient we've been after for years? Having an opportunity to capture her and bring her in but neglecting to? I think your other senior staff can confirm what Adrian saw." Reno and Rude shifted ever so slightly, neither wishing to have to give answers at this time.

"Why are you sending my own men to spy on me?" Tseng shot back. Even if he had a reasonable explanation to give, he felt that neither the president nor Hojo would accept it. He could only remain thankful that Rufus remained in the background, preferring to remain silent for the time being.

The president lit up a cigar. "We need the Ancient."

"We've waited long enough," Hojo stepped forward. "We've kept her contained in the slums for most of her life, trying to get her to come along willingly. You alone, Mr. Tseng, have won over the tiniest piece of her trust. How, I'll never know. I'd think her to have better taste though…"

"But now it's time to move on," the president continued, cutting off the professor's attempt at adding friction between the Turk and himself.

Hojo complied with the forced shift of topic. "She is now coming of age, and her genetic RNA is changing her from a girl to a woman. She is now ready for us to bring in and use in our research to clone a stronger specimen that carries the DNA of the Cetra. You, Turk, have become too fond of her…too attached."

Reno's eyes shot sideways, a look of shock being suppressed from his features but certainly stirring within his mind. To someone like him, it was also fuel for a lot of joshing later on once the serious issues subsided. Rude remained stoic along Tseng's other side, as would be expected from him.

The accused Turk's lack of reply didn't help his own situation.

"The Shaula tribe is a dying race, but one who is also said to have the ability to summon Espers. I will need a member of that tribe once we have the Ancient…" Hojo seemed to be musing when he said it aloud. "I would ask that the Turks be sent to bring one in, but perhaps another Turk will fall victim to the folly of romance with the intended target…especially that one who's probably a crossbreed of human and Shaula…"

Reno's eyes narrowed, and he bared his teeth in disgust at the professor's implication that he was a result of human and animal mating. His red hair was about as fiery as the coat of fur of a Shaula, but the professor's sense of humor was not appreciated. His reaction clouded his realizing that what Hojo was just saying regarding Aeris and the Shaula is that such a crossbreeding of DNA might be possible, even if just in a test tube.

"Why don't you use Mr. Valentine instead of the Ancient?" Tseng asked, cutting Hojo off before he implied anything else stupid.

"He's a genetic misfit…my own doing of course. All his talents of such are artificially induced, not with the best results either, I may add," the professor replied. He shifted his glasses further up. "Perhaps I should prepare a place for you along side him…"

The president cleared his throat. "The Turks will be assigned to the task of bringing in a member of the Shaula tribe as well as capturing the Ancient. Hojo would prefer if we coordinate bringing the two in together, just so neither has time to create trouble before the arrival of the other. Soldiers will guard the, err…specimens…" the president used Hojo's common term for the future captives. "But I'd like one or two of our best Turks to back them up just in case problems arise. You, Mr. Tseng, have made the assignment of personnel much more difficult. The Ancient trusts you, even just a little…and you can counter any materia she might try to use in order to escape…but at the same time, I'm not sure if you can be trusted."

Tseng just bowed shallowly. "I'm sorry you feel that way. My visit to the church was personal. However, if you want me to increase the force of our efforts to bring Aeris in…"

"Not you," said the president, stepping forward and chewing on his cigar. "Not this time. For now, you are restricted to headquarters. Attend to my son's errands and escort him as his guard. And try to stay out of trouble until things can be sorted out."

Rufus stayed behind has the president and Hojo walked off, arguing something about Tseng, an ex-Turk, and the Cetra.

"Shaula?" Rufus asked. "They're native to the Cosmo Canyon area. There are very few of them left since the battle against the Gi."

Tseng nodded, though behind him Reno stepped forward. "Did you hear what that scrawny bastard said about me?" the red-head's temper flared in the safe company of his closest friends.

"Hojo says all sorts of crazy things," Tseng replied, a hand pressing firmly on Reno's shoulder to encourage him to get a grip. "Just ignore him."

"He does appear to want to crossbreed human and Shaula DNA. Rather freaky…" said Rufus. "I can't guarantee what the Turks' orders will be regarding Aeris or the Shaula. I'm just not sure that I agree with my old man in letting Hojo conduct such experiments. We crushed Wutai already…sorry, Tseng…" the VP regarded his Wutanese Turk with an apologetic glance. "Having the ability to summon Espers doesn't seem to fit into Father's plans to find the Promised Land, although it does have the allure of wielding a certain kind of power."

"It's probably not to my benefit to mention that Aeons…Espers…do not appreciate being exploited for the sake of raising specific humans to power, especially not those who they do not deem worthy."

"Whoa, Tseng!" said Reno. "You make it sound like you and the Esper creatures get together every week for afternoon tea."

"My knowledge can be described as intuitive at best," the Turk leader replied, shifting his gaze from Reno back to Rufus. "I still feel that the president wants Aeris for all the wrong reasons. Is his attempt not also a form of exploitation? Thus, is it right to allow him to get more aggressive in his tactics to capture her at this time?"

Rufus, Reno, and Rude all had similar looks in their eyes, answers to the questions coming through the silence of expression.

"I've clearly defied him in the past," said Rufus. "To defy him at a time he's thinking about his grandest of plans…the Promised Land…might be the riskiest thing I could do."

Reno shot the VP a sarcastic glance. "You mean riskier than when you hired assassins to murder him?"

Rufus brushed a lock of blond hair aside. "This time I really have no choice."

---

Soft footsteps entered his room. It was a friendly visitor, not a doctor or a nurse. Rodney could tell by a gut feeling before he even opened his eyes. First he thought he saw a silhouette, but as his sleepy eyes focused, he saw a black haired man in a Turk's uniform step inside from the doorway off to the left. The fluorescent lighting panels overhead created a glare on the visitor's glasses, turning them white temporarily before the young man lowered his head. The glare moved away, revealing dark gray eyes.

"Hello, Rodney," the Turk folded his arms across his chest as he sauntered over to his comrade's bedside.

"Hey, Adrian…" the injured Turk said weakly. "They gonna let me out of here soon?"

Adrian shook his head, smiling cutely and waggling a finger. "Not until they fix that broken leg."

Rodney grumbled, grimacing as he focused his tired eyes on his right leg which was propped up and temporarily splinted. All day he wondered why the doctors chose to use materia technology to heal his dislocated shoulder and broken wrist first instead of the leg. He had to ingest a lot of vitamins and other medications just to restore vital resources his body used up during the accelerated mending process of those injuries. To repair too much at once would over-stress the body's rapidly depleting resources.

"They're supposedly going to do that tomorrow. I'm told the process is painful. Guess I was lucky to be unconscious when they did the other ones," Rod said, carefully flexing the hand of his formerly injured wrist. It was still a little sore, but the doctors assured him the beam from the materia tool had completely fused the broken pieces of bone and residual symptoms would disappear in a few days.

Adrian lifted Rod's hand, holding it gently as his thumb brushed over the faint remains of the bruise left from when the bone underneath was broken. Rod seemed momentarily offended by careful but deliberate touch that seemed to boarder on the lines of intimacy. Slight muscle and breath tension conveyed the uneasiness to the elder Turk. Adrian shifted his hands, pressing the heels of both of them firmly against the top and underside of Rodney's wrist.

"It's okay," Adrian said. "You've been a Turk for what…two years? In that time, I've never seen you so badly hurt. Forgive me, but I do have talents among mystical healing arts and accupressure." His fingers started to hit nerves in Rod's hands, sending subtle impulses up to the man's shoulder…the same one that had been dislocated in the crash.

Rod grit his teeth, a little bewildered by the lack of his senior's asking. Though he was tempted to assert himself and pull away, something more then just general sleepiness kept him from protesting any further.

"You're not the first Turk that Tseng put in the hospital, you know," Adrian said, looking Rodney in the eye as his fingers held onto nerve centers for blocks of 15 to 20 seconds at a time. "Makes some of us wonder if it was mere carelessness on his part, or if there's another agenda he isn't telling anyone."

"What the hell is all this buzz I've been hearing about Aeons?" Rod asked, wincing slightly as pressure was applied to a nerve under his bruise.

Adrian's hands travelled up to to Rod's elbow and gripped it gently. "May I?" he asked this time before applying any pressure. Rod's brow knotted curiously, but he nodded anyway. "Red materia…collected by jewelers and people who want a piece of the so-called wisdom of the Ancients , but they're nothing more than conversation pieces. It's probably safer for the world to believe that's all it is. Left-over energies condensing, but powerless. Of course if you're an Ancient…or Tseng…you know that red materia holds much more power than a pretty crimson glow."

Rod grunted. "You mean Espers? Espers are linked to red materia?"

"Tseng and the Ancient can both summon incarnated elementals from red materia. It's my guess that Tseng didn't want Shinra to know about his unique talent."

"And you squealed on him?" Rodney tried to pull his arm away from Adrian. The other Turk let him pull free.

Adrian shrugged. "I was under orders to observe him and report back…per General Heidegger himself." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry… I don't think that Tseng is untrustworthy. I hope I think right. But it doesn't excuse what he did to you."

Rod flexed his hand, rotating it around an noticing that all traces of soreness were now gone, ever since Adrian spent a while doing accupressure on it. "It all happened so fast…" he said, mind occupied with his last few memories before waking up in the hospital.

"Shinra put me in command of the Turks. I'm assuming Tseng is on some form of probation, possibly pending an investigation into his collision into your bike, and his hidden ability to use Summoning materia. Despite what has happened, would you continue to support him and stand by him as a fellow Turk?"

Rod's eyes narrowed, an answer almost coming to his lips.

"And did I mention the relationship between him and the Ancient? Controversial to say the least, no? You don't have to say anything yet. I think we're all mulling things over right now. But if it comes down to Tseng versus Shinra, it would be nice to know which of us will be on which side."

_To Be Continued..._

An original story based on characters from Final Fantasy VII © 1997 Squaresoft Ltd. Characters used without permission. No money is made off of this fic. Written by Zeng Li. © 2006.


	4. Chapter 4

_Legacy of the Aeons – Chapter 4  
_By: Zeng Li

"Father has put us both in a rather difficult position," Rufus said, his elbows on his desk and forefingers steepled together. Tseng stood stoically before him, his eyes narrowed to sharper points than normal. "At the same time, he's made a bit of a mistake."

"Rufus…sir," the Turk said. "You're planning on defying him again?"

"Of course," Rufus placed his hands palms down on his desk top. One hand gathered up a pen, more to play idly with than to write.

Tseng drew in a sharp breath, his teeth clenched behind his lips. He looked out the window at the darkened city. "You and probably half the Turks know why I have chosen to handle the Ancient in this particular manner over the years. Although the original intent was to make her think she could easily evade us, I now have second thoughts on springing the trap that we've spent so long setting up."

Rufus grinned devilishly. "You really do have feelings for her, don't you?"

Tseng bowed his head, eyes closed while he tried not to smile. "In a way. Why can't she just be left alone?"

"To think Father's short-sightedness and endless ambition to find the Promised Land is changing the world all around us," Rufus mused aloud. "Money… Power… And at who and what's expense?"

"It's pointless."

Rufus nodded. "Making the move to capture the Ancient, especially under hasty circumstances, may not be the best thing regardless."

"I won't allow it…for that and other reasons," Tseng said, a look of fortitude within his eyes.

"That's why I've worked against him so often in the past. He's wasting his life and the lives of countless others for something he merely believes in but can not prove. If Aeris really is the only remaining Ancient, then he will only be wasting her as well. Would you be willing to fight against your own men to save her?"

Tseng's chest expanded with a deep inhalation. "How can I protect her? The president has confined me to headquarters."

Rufus bared a clever smile. "Has he really…?"

---

The next morning came quickly. Reno pulled the leather strap to his glove firmly around his wrist. "Damn it to hell…" he muttered colorlessly.

"It's our job," Klaus reminded him, gathering up his own equipment in the men's locker room along side Reno. "And part of that job is to not care."

"They can desensitize us as much as they want, but it just isn't the same without Tseng." Reno secured his other glove, flexing both hands to be sure the tight black leather fit both comfortably. His mind wanted nothing more than to spill the beans on Tseng's feelings for the day's intended target. Some how, he kept the juicy piece of gossip to himself. "We still have to be careful not to harm her."

Klaus' twin automatics were set out on the bench, reminding them of how difficult it will be not to harm the Ancient during this serious attempt at abducting her. Each gun was equipped with a different orb of black magic materia, making it possible to subdue the target without using lethal force.

Reno packed a few orbs of materia and his electro-mag rod in his blazer pockets. He looked down at his watch. "You think Rodney's out of surgery by now? I feel like paying him a visit before we go do the president's dirty work. Y'know…lighten the mood or what ever?"

Klaus finished retying the lace of his high top boot. "Sure, if you want…"

Reno just grinned, pushing his locker door shut with a loud clatter. "C'mon then. We got time."

The two Turks had a half hour before their scheduled rendezvous in the parking deck with the Turks' female martial artist, Kira. The trio of Turks would be accompanied by three soldiers third-class on the mission into the Sector 5 slums. Reno couldn't help but remember the close call that resulted from his last visit there, the other victim still convalescing from injuries sustained due to their leader's apparent carelessness.

He and Klaus entered Rodney's room in the infirmary, finding their colleague resting in bed, his bare leg propped up on some folded blankets. To their alarm, Rod's face was twisted a bit into a wince, his teeth grit and eyes clenched. A nurse kindly stated that he'd just come out of the procedure room a few minutes ago, so cellular reconstruction was still in progress.

"It supposed to hurt that bad?" Reno asked, walking up to his friend's bed side as Klaus remained closer to the room's entrance.

Rod gripped the bed sheets with a clenching fist. "Shut up…" he hissed. "Tell me you've never been through this sort of thing…"

Reno knelt down, plopping his arms heavily onto the mattress at Rodney's side and leaning on them. He cocked his head and grinned as if enjoying his friend's every second of misery. "Been there, done that many times. Hurts like shit, don't it? You'd never know they just healed you 'til the pain starts to go away an hour later. Longest hour of your life, though."

Rodney snorted, not enjoying himself in the presence of his friends. "Looks like you're off to somewhere," he tried to distract himself by appeasing his curiosity.

"Yeah…" Reno stalled. "You could say that. Look, the less you know for now the better. Guess it'll all be done soon enough. More important right now that you rest and let the after-effects of the materia continue rebuilding all the stuff in there. By the time you're up and around on your own two feet, we'll be back from our assignment."

Rodney furrowed his brow. "Taunting me? Not gonna tell me what you're off to?" he snarled. "Now I'm gonna be wondering the whole time!"

Reno stood up and playfully ruffled Rodney's hair. "It ain't so bad, I guess. Rookie training reminder…sometimes there's information that you don't yet know, but you have to learn to push aside all burning desire to find it out. Don't let it linger at the front of your mind."

"I'm hardly a rookie…"

"Yeah, I suppose," Reno turned and trailed off a few short paces. "Here, let me help take your mind off of it." He reached into his inside blazer pocket and pulled out a black marker, yanking off the cap. Rodney tried to sit up without jostling his leg that still throbbed like a bitch as days and weeks worth of healing took place in the matter of hours and minutes. He could hardly believe what Reno was doing. He wondered if his pain-clouded mind was only imagining things.

"Reno? What the hell are you doing?"

Reno pulled the marker away and replaced the cap. "Broke your leg a few days ago, and now it's all healed without ever being put in a cast or anything. Took all the fun away from it. I had to sign my name on SOMEthing, didn't I?"

"That's my bare skin, you idiot! What's the doctor gonna think when he sees it?"

Reno shrugged. "He'll know. It says 'Reno was here…' with a smiley face. Lighten up, okay? Tomorrow when you're trying to scrub it off with soap and water, you'll laugh too."

Klaus grinned and rubbed his knuckles over the corner of his lips to try not to audibly laugh as Reno lead the way out of Rodney's room, the formerly injured Turk glowering and snarling in their wake.

---

Dawn in Midgar's slums was like any other time of day. The few lights that went off at night didn't change the over all collective glow of all the other illumination sources.

Despite the daily possibility of Shinra sending people down to bring her in, Aeris followed a fairly regular routine. Both the Turks who were on their way and Tseng and the vice president were counting on her adhering to the predictable schedule. Sure enough, the Cetra girl showed up with an empty wicker basket in hand. Knowing that she'd be picking the ripest flowers to sell top side, Tseng had left her a little present before he and Rufus retreated to the sanctuary of the rafters and dilapidated walkways for the remainder of the night.

Tseng was trained in the art of stealth, but he was a little worried about Rufus. They watched from above, undetected, as Aeris easily found the glowing crimson orb of materia at the edge of the flower garden. Closing her hand around it, she looked around and even above. The Turk and vice president remained motionless, listening to every single noise, especially the subtle ones, just like she was.

She knelt down, pulling her collapsed staff out from a pair of bands on the underside of her flower basket. Extending it to full length, she equipped the red materia orb into the staff, eyes scanning around cautiously.

Unseen above, Tseng nodded. Rufus moved his eyes only, subconsciously afraid that turning his head would create a detectible sound or feeling that would give them away.

Aeris laid the staff down at her side and started clipping flowers. After clipping only a few, she looked around again. Breathing shallowly and letting a peripheral psychic sense scan the whole inside of the church, she suddenly seemed unfocused on her daily task. As if on cue, Rufus' cell phone started vibrating. Though not audibly ringing, beeping, or playing any custom ring tone, the soft buzz seemed to reverberate off of every angle of the cathedral ceiling. Rufus' hand moved quickly to close over the small phone clipped to the belt of his jeans, but that only created more slight noises that got amplified as well.

By the time Tseng looked back down from their shadowy perch, Aeris had her staff in hand and was looking upward in their general direction.

Reno and the other Turks saved him a lot of trouble by showing up, entering the church from both ends. Aeris immediately focused her attention on them, weapon gripped tightly. She felt surrounded on not only both sides, but from above as well. The Turks, however, were not aware of her extra concern.

"Time to go, princess…" Reno taunted, closing in rapidly. The hand holding his EMR tapped it casually against his shoulder. "Your boyfriend ain't here this time to bail you out."

"Boyfriend…?" she asked, swinging her staff in an arc to indicate to the Turk not to get any closer.

Reno cocked his head, slyly winking an eye at her. "You know…Tseng."

Aeris darted to the side, trying to distance herself from both groups of advancing Turks at once. Kira predicted the move and vaulted near effortlessly over a pew to block her from going any further, the Turks now surrounding the Ancient on three sides.

"Shinra's orders," said the female Turk. "If you come willingly, you will not be harmed."

"We could even stop off at your house and let you pick up a few things," Klaus added, loosely holding his guns for her to see his lack of firm grip. "You'd be Shinra's guest of course, so anything you need…"

Aeris swung at him with her staff, knowing all too well the sweet-talk and empty promises that usually got thrown her way during these encounters. Klaus jumped back to avoid her swing, his fists closing back around his gun grips. He fired off a warning shot as his feet hit the ground.

Aeris didn't skip a beat, twirling her staff above her head as an emerald glow illuminated around her hands. Flashes of lightning from a black magic materia orb struck outward at all three Turks. The thunder clap was concussive, reverberating off of every wall and ceiling arch. Reno and Kira were momentarily stunned while Klaus recovered quickly, counteracting with low level Ice materia.

Aeris did all she could to defend from the non-lethal magic. She got in a lucky shot as she swung her staff blindly in the melee. Reno no sooner recovered from the Lightning magic when his arm instinctively raised up to block the metal staff, his forearm taking the hit instead of the side of his head. He shook off the sting from the impact and advanced on her from behind, his long arms encircling her waist as his EMR dangled loosely from his wrist strap.

"You're making this entirely too difficult!" he said as her staff clattered to the ground at their feet.

The Ancient screamed, trying to wrestle free. Her boot stomped, attempting to nail Reno's foot in a vain attempt to get him to release her.

Klaus moved closer with one hand gun aimed at her chest. "Do as we say and no one gets hurt," he said firmly. Aeris tried to kick him away, but Kira deflected her foot away from the other Turk.

A noise alarmed the Turks for just a moment as it sounded like someone had jumped down to the ground from above. When they all turned towards the source of the sound, all they saw was a swirl of pyre-flies…growing…rising up from the ground with the incarnation of an elemental deity. Ramuh, an Esper of the Lightning element, struck the three Turks down before disappearing. A masked figure in black rematerialized in front of the flower garden, pyre-flies rising up around him growing fainter until vanishing completely.

Klaus laid on his side, aiming his right hand gun with pain-blurred vision. A shot rang out and missed the black target completely. Reno propped himself up on one elbow, looking up at the familiar skin-tight suit. "Fuck it, Tseng… What are you doing?"

Klaus had another shot lined up, but he lowered his weapon.

"Careful, Klaus. You don't want to hit Rufus," Tseng said, one hand loosening the cloth tie behind his head, letting the armored ninja mask slide down around his neck and revealing his identity. The vice president made his way down the stairs along one side, dressed a little more incognito than his Turk counterpart.

Aeris stepped back, weapon still poised.

Tseng reached up and pulled the hood of his stealth suit back, letting his long black hair flow down over his shoulders. The handle of his katana loomed at an angle behind one shoulder.

"The hell's wrong with you, man?" Reno snarled at his superior. "First that shit with me and Rod, and now you're getting in the way of our orders."

"And who gave you those orders?" Tseng's dark eyes looked down at the fallen Turk, his arms folded sternly across his chest.

"Heidegger, but still…"

"Heidegger is not the boss of me," said Rufus, taking up position to Tseng's side. He looked like such a boy in jeans and button-up shirt, but he was still the same 24-year old whose word was final in the absence of his father. "I'm telling you all to stand down. Let the Ancient go."

"You better tell the soldiers sealing the exits that…" said Kira, getting to her knees.

Tseng reached down and lifted Reno to his feet by the lapel of his blazer. "Go about your business, Aeris," he said. "We'll take care of these guys."

Once outside the church, Tseng dismissed the soldiers and told them to return to headquarters. They stated they're not to follow any of his orders, but Rufus reiterated the order and demanded they obey. Left alone with the three Turks, Rufus and Tseng stood before them after backing them against a wall.

"What about all that time we spent getting her to think she could best us? We finally sprung the trap, showing her that we can mean business when we're ordered to, and all we did was show our hand…and now we still have nothing!" Reno argued rather animated despite his present circumstance.

"Father has exploited enough of the planet," said Rufus. "He intends to exploit the Ancient, the Shaula, and even the Esper world all in the name of controlling the world. Hell, he even has plans to bring back Sephiroth through the Espers…despite Hojo insisting it's not possible."

"Listen to me or not…" said Tseng. "…but I suggest you return to headquarters and say nothing of this until Rufus and I return."

Reno stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Fine then. We'll take the long way back…why not?"

"Go, and don't cause any trouble."

Tseng and Rufus watched them go before the Turk motioned his partner back into the church. Aeris was tending to the flowers and was not at all surprised that visitors returned. Her staff was quickly in hand. "Are you not ready to leave?" she asked firmly, taking up a defensive stance.

"Rufus and I are risking our careers and our lives being here," Tseng said, stopping his advancement far enough away to be out of range of a physical attack. "As a former resident of Wutai, I know full well the depth of involvement the Aeons have in the survival of this planet. Shinra wants control of these sentient elemental forces…as if it's not bad enough that Mako processing is robbing their vitality as it is."

Aeris shook her head. "They can not be mastered. Manipulate them and you flirt with death," she said.

Rufus grinned. "Maybe then we _should_ let father mess with them…" he said quietly. He found a pleasing sort of power in his continued plots against his father and those who gave him a tortured childhood. The karmic boomerang again felt like it was bending its flight, ready to return all the sickness and mental anguish inflicted upon the child to the adults who caused it all in the first place.

"What about Sephiroth?" Tseng asked Aeris. "Shinra seems divided in the opinion that he can be brought back from the Life Stream."

The Ancient lowered her staff. "Sephiroth…" she whispered. Shaking her head, she added, "No…he can't be brought back because he's not yet…gone."

"Hojo seems to elude to that possibility as well," Tseng told Rufus, not that the vice president didn't already know.

"Shinra is looking to enslave the Espers?" Aeris asked, and Tseng nodded in reply. "I see… They can not be enslaved, although we can call upon their powers as their friends. Very few anyway." She folded her hands together, holding them over her heart chakra. "Tseng…you have spent so long helping me over the years. If there is anything I can do to return the favor…"

The Turk bowed his head, his eyes closing softly.

_To Be Continued..._

An original story based on characters from Final Fantasy VII © 1997 Squaresoft Ltd. Characters used without permission. No money is made off of this fic. Written by Zeng Li. © 2006.


End file.
